John Isiah Walton. "Botanical Gardens." Walton's work will be on display throughout the month of June at Baton Rouge Gallery. Image courtesy of Baton Rouge Gallery.
On the first Wednesday of every month—“on a Wednesday evening, mind you,” points out Jason Andreasen—an average of 630 people are getting into the car after the workday, braving Baton Rouge traffic, and heading to City-Brooks Community Park to peruse the latest exhibition at Baton Rouge Gallery.
“To have that kind of sustained response on a weekday night in Baton Rouge, for primarily local art, is so exciting and invigorating,” said Andreasen, the President/CEO of Baton Rouge Gallery. “And I should say that it is a diversity of people coming in for these opening receptions—we’ve got everybody from college students to senior citizens, different socioeconomic backgrounds, racial backgrounds. We like to say that we feel we have done a good job when we look out at a First Wednesday event and the faces in the crowd look at least somewhat representative of the city itself.”
The engagement goes beyond sheer attendance, too. A recent economic impact study found that the gallery’s nonprofit, which occupies a 2,800-square-foot building in City Park and mostly offers free programming to the public, had an economic impact in the Capital Area of more than $5.7 million between 2022 and 2024.
“For the gallery to have that level of economic impact is, I think, indicative of what the arts can do, even beyond this one organization,” said Andreasen. “But certainly, we are proud of the fact that the gallery itself can have that kind of role in making the economics of Baton Rouge better.”
It’s a moment to take advantage of, believes Andreasen—where Baton Rougeans are seeking out quality-of-life programming from the area’s increasingly rich arts community, and are ready to support it as a vital part of the city’s character. Which is why, earlier this spring, he made the official announcement that Baton Rouge Gallery—which has exhibited the work of local professional artists since 1956—will soon be moving into a brand new, state-of-the-art facility.
Since 1984, the gallery has been housed in the circa-1927 pool house that once accompanied City Park’s segregated pool, which closed in 1963 following the historic efforts of activists during the Baton Rouge Swim-In. “The reality is, we’re working with such a small space, and this building we’ve been so fortunate to call home was not built to do the things we’re asking it to do,” said Andreasen.
Though still in the early stages, plans are in the works—in coordination with the Recreation and Park Commission for East Baton Rouge (BREC)—for the construction of a contemporary art center located adjacent to the gallery’s current location. The new facility will offer much more space for the Gallery to host more and larger events, expand its capacity for artist memberships, and also provide dedicated space for special, touring exhibitions of work from artists outside the region. The project’s design will be led by New Orleans architects at NANO and Louisiana native Gabriel Smith. Smith has extensive experience working on some of the most respected museums in the country, including the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, Glenstone in Maryland, and the North Carolina Museum of Art.
“All that to say, we are endeavoring to bring a really high quality level of design to the building,” said Andreasen. “And we’re doing it by bringing in world-class talent, with a local flair.”
Be among the first to know about upcoming developments on Baton Rouge Gallery’s new home by joining the gallery’s e-newsletter at batonrougegallery.org.
